Wakefield vet saves dog's life after finding her 'heart condition' was rare tumour

Owners Peter and Janet Baker became concerned when their 10-year-old pet Poppy fell off the sofa and started to go lame, which their vets suspected was caused by an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure.

Poppy was referred to cardiologist Debbie Hyman at Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, where extensive investigations revealed that an endocrine tumour was the real cause of the issue.

The tumour, called a phaeochromocytoma, intermittently releases adrenaline and was causing the high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythm.

Paragon’s head of surgery Mickey Tivers promptly operated to remove the tumour, which was in Poppy’s right adrenal gland, and she has since made a full recovery.

Delighted owner Janet said: “We’ve had Poppy since she was an eight-week-old puppy and we’re sure the skill and care shown by Debbie and Mickey have saved Poppy’s life.

“She is now fully recovered, enjoying life to the full and we feel she will now enjoy many more years with us.”

Husband Peter admitted it was a worrying ordeal but the Paragon team had helped support them all the way through.

He said: “When we first arrived at Paragon, Debbie recommended a series of tests. She methodically and carefully took us through the possible outcomes and the actual results when they came back.

“Her recommendation of surgery was obviously a big worry but her analysis and the outcome of a CT scan, and Mickey the surgeon’s confidence, put us at ease.

“When the surgery proved successful, we were obviously very relieved and we really appreciated the follow-up care and attention shown by both of them.”

Debbie, an advanced practitioner in veterinary cardiology, gave Poppy a series of vigorous tests, including an ECG, a heart scan, an abdominal ultrasound and a CT scan in the quest to diagnose the problem.

She said: “This case highlighted that not all cardiac cases are obvious and straightforward, as the abdominal scan and CT scan both showed a mass in the right adrenal gland, which we found was the true cause of Poppy’s issues.”

Mickey said: “We were suspicious that Poppy’s high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythm were due to the tumour intermittently releasing adrenaline.

“We operated to remove the tumour and Poppy made a very good recovery from surgery. Her blood pressure was decreased afterwards so we’re confident we have successfully dealt with her problem.”

Paragon’s multi-disciplinary care includes anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.